05 May 2004 Attack of Cucumber-Eaters, Part II

Copying a similar group of crustless-sandwich munchers, self-described “former [U.S.] diplomats” (although the list of signers reveals the description isn’t quite accurate) have sent a letter to President Bush complaining that U.S. policy in the Middle East favors Israel over the Palestinians.

The letter begins “We former U.S. diplomats applaud our 52 British counterparts who recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair criticizing his Middle East policy and calling on Britain to exert more influence over the United States.”

Isn’t that just like a diplomat? Even when retired, they call upon our government to take orders from foreigners.

Check out the website of the sponsoring group, whose first two board members, Andrew I. Killgore and Richard H. Curtiss, signed the letter first and second. As a parlor game, see how many statements critical of Israel you can find on the main page alone. I’d suggest that old drinking game — drink a shot for every one you can find — but playing might kill you.

Browsing back issues of their publication also is instructive. My favorite article is “It’s Academic! Saudi Arabia’s Remarkable New Cabinet.” Would that be the cabinet that stopped funding anti-Americanism and decided to let Saudi women drive? Er, no. Not quite that remarkable.

We’ll hold off on calling a Saudi Arabian cabinet “remarkable” until one serves in a democratically-elected government.

Meanwhile, we’ve read through the very many media reports covering the release of this letter. None of them I read, including this mention in the Washington Post, this AP report, or this Saudi editorial, mention that the sponsoring group is ardently critical of Israel, although a report in Britain’s Independent does at least quote the group’s president, Killgore, saying, apparently critically, of George Bush and John Kerry, “They’re both very dedicated Zionists, it seems to me.” Fox News, predictably, did a better job of describing the group during the “roundtable” segment of Brit Hume’s “Special Report.”